By Lauren Selman | Bio This was first published at The Life of Lauren with the title "Adventure Starts Today". It is kindly republished here with permission.
This morning, I woke up at 6:30am to get on the road. My lack of sleep over the past couple days is finally hiting me as I stumble out of bed, down the stairs and to the airport. I was blessed because my friend Melissa took me to the airport. (Thanks hun!) I follow the signs for the Black Diamond Expert Traveler (because that's what I am) right? In my half asleep stupor, I forget that I am wearing hiking boots which do not result in Black Diamond traveling ease. Luckily I managed to take them off in line so my slumber went unnoticed. Once through security, I head down the terminal to get a jump start to my morning and just as a I was about to order my typical Chai Latte, I remember that I am doing the 30-Day Vegan Challenge and I catch myself short, scan the menu, only to find that they had very few items that look up my alley and needless to say were without dairy. Not to mention, their alternative of course was soy which I am semi-allergic too. I walked away with a mango juice in my hand. I waited in the gate which watching the latest about the Gulf. Families of the 11 killed men are talking with Obama today about how families should be more compensated for lost loved ones and that special attention should be given to health and safety, while in the same breath they supported continued offshore drilling in the Gulf. As I was befutteled by the comments, the report continued to say that it was the worst environmental disaster in my generation's lifetime. I looked down at my hand and felt the plastic in my hand. In that moment, I began to contemplate the environmental impact of travel but also the impact of "one makes a difference." With the oil continuing to spill and the continuous environmental disasters all over the world, one makes a difference, but truly infrastruture (and habits) makes a difference. Take the example of my plastic mango juice in my hand. I was a traveler and although I had my reuseable waterbottle on hand, the coffee shop denied refilling it for health purposes and I had chosen to not consume animal products as an environmental stand so no go on the latte, yet there I was, still holding this plastic bottle, feeling guilty about the gulf and, yet, completely passionate and optimistic that I could do something to make a difference. My mind continued to race, "What are the other areas of environmental impact in an airport that I wasn't seeing?" Areas like the plastic cutlery, the sugar filled snacks at the news booth, the lights used, the overpowering AC and the list continues. The thoughts eventually get so heavy that I dose off until my flight. After 2 stops between LA and SLC, I finally make it to the SLC Leaderhouse and was greeted by a familiar face. A fellow leader who I had the pleasure of traveling with in Thailand. I put down my bags and we talked on the doorstep about our lives, time that had passed and everything in between. The contrast between the anxiety around environmental disasters and the authencity and gem of connection I had with my friend outdoors reminds me that it is true the one makes a difference, and one of the biggest ways is the difference we make to one another. © 2010 Lauren Selman. All rights reserved.
Written by eldering at The Great Turning
Tagged with:
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By Lauren Selman and Tina Hittenberger | Bio
One of the most inspiring things here [at the
Olympics in Vancouver] is the sustained camaraderie of ALL the
athletes.We have been here eleven days and the demonstration of humanity
has not waivered once. I am continuously stunned by the
respect, courtesy and admiration that transcends national boundaries,
religious differences and historic animosities. This code of
sportsmanship and honor encompasses more than just the sport.
As
for those that are not the elite athletes in the spotlight, politeness
and patience is the norm. The city is filled with ordinary people just
aching to be helpful. If Olympus was the mythic home of the gods,
somehow every individual we meet has been blessed with a little of their
splendor.
I am also in awe of the OLYMPIC TRUCE which I knew
little about prior to our visit. It is a simple declaration:
all competing countries cease fighting during the duration of games. It
is an extraordinary thing when you think that there IS the possibility
of peace just around the corner.
This is intense and focused
and an utterly remarkable place to be. Republished with kind
permission from Traveling is a Game © 2010 Lauren Selman. All rights
reserved.
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
camaraderie
olympics
patience
peace
respect
By Lauren Selman | Bio
Do you want to get lean while
staying green? Whether you're a runner, a competitive cyclist, a
recreational yogi or a vacation skier, there might be a more
sustainable way for you to exercise.
Recently, I was inspired by LuluLemon’s blog posts considering not only what we wear on our bodies but also how
we wear our clothing. The author of the blog, challenged herself to
dress for both work and for working out with only two bottoms to choose
from for the entire month. The message was clear: you can minimize your
impact by altering your habits. In short, it got me thinking, well, how
sustainable are we when we work out?
Hi, I’m Lauren Selman and
starting today, February 1, 2010, Tracy Hepler of Your Daily Thread and
I are challenging ourselves to train for the LA Marathon as sustainably
as possible. From what we put on our feet to what we eat for breakfast,
we are going to be reviewing, researching and reporting back to you on
how to train and sustain the planet.
We want to know, with all of
the cute eco-outfits out there, what are the best sustainable apparel
alternatives to wear while we sweat? What are the best organic bars and
energy sources? Are there good green shoes that are performance-ready?
What's the optimum way to hydrate without using water stations? And
with the Vancouver Olympics just a breath away, what are Olympians
doing to care for the environment?
For the next two months, we
will sweat for sustainability to find out what we can do while we work
out to do our part. Keep up with us here on Mondays for the latest from
the training room. We Run Green. Do you? 
©
2010 Lauren Selman. All rights reserved.
Written by eldering at Health
Tagged with:
cycling
environment
exercise
olympics
run
sustainable
yoga
By Lauren Selman | Bio
“Sarah…just saw Avatar, it was great!” “Mark…wants you to see Avatar!”
The facebook status updates of my friends keep pouring in. Not
interested in another blockbuster blow-em-up movie, I looked to my
various communities to see what people think and sure enough the
reviews are there too. Young and old, Democrat or Republican,
Eco-Conscious and Eco-Hating, the status updates had a clear message,
to see Avatar.
Okay, fine! I’ll see it. I had been told
it was an “environmental justice” movie while other friends described
the movie as a work of “art,” so I didn’t know what I was in for. But
per the recommendations of my trusted network, I finally made my way to
the movie theater and sure enough it was so sold out. No hope lost, the
next week, I tried again. And again. And after three sold out shows and
no theater ticket in hand, I was getting the hint that perhaps I wasn’t
suppose to see the magnanimous movie. However, I am thankful, because
in leu of the other missed performances I was able to see other films
that were not in my line up, including the memorable Invictus (not to be missed!).
Sure
enough, however, with a little planning and buying tickets three days
before the show (so much for spontaneity) I was finally sitting in the
plush velvet chairs at the legendary ArchLight Dome cinema in Hollywood
with my high-tech glasses wrapped around my face.
Now there are
many reasons to go to the movie. Whether the girls invited you out for
a night on the town or you are seeking a distraction from a tough day
at work, a couple hours in the dark with strangers can sometimes be
exactly what the doctor ordered. In this case, going to see Avatar
was unlike most movie experiences. For starters, even before the movie
began, the theater buzzed with anticipation and eyes were fixed with
intent on the screen. “Ooos” and “Aaas” sprinkled across the audience
as shapes darted at them through their 3-D glasses.
The movie
itself was truly beautiful. James Cameron and his team mastered the art
form and it was, not to be clique, an out of this world experience. So
much so, I left the theater exhausted, with a killer migraine, but that
is minor compared to having your entire civilization blown into
smitherings. As many critics have said, however, seeing Avatar is like Fern Gully
on steroids... an outsider comes into a community that then falls in
love with the adventurous female and together they strive to save their
civilization and environment with big bad machines that blow things up
and in this case come at you. Avatar also has hints of The Matrix and meets the beauty and deep connectedness we see in a film like Baraka. The movie highlights the drama, horror and pain of environmental damage while tuning into a sense of inner connectivity. The
most powerful element of this film, however, was seeing, once again,
the power of activism through storytelling. Fiction in particular
allows us to escape the trials and tribulations of our lives and be
immersed in someone else’s lives for a couple hours. We then can travel
on a journey with the characters and begin to see ourselves in their
struggles. Where Avatar succeeded as an environmental film is
that it carried a message of environmental awareness without being
preachy or “knock-you-over-the-head-fear-factor.” Audiences are then
able to get that what happens in the movie is a travesty but they also
are not starved of being entertained. There were aspects of the film
where there was a strong sense of good guy versus bad guy and it is
important when looking at environmental concerns in our modern world
that we notice the complexities of the situation. Furthermore, critics
have said that there should have been a "call to action" at the end of
film like in An Inconvenient Truth, but alas ( maybe they'll put it in the DVD).
Overall,
there are some strong reactions to this film out there which should be
considered, but the best review is the one you, the viewer, give the
film. We all see it through different filters, so whether you see Avatar
through the lens of an artist, an academic, or an environmentalist, the
film will heighten your interest and do what the most powerful films in
history do: make you think.
© 2010 Lauren Selman. All rights reserved.
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
activism
avatar
environment
fiction
movie
storytelling
 By Lauren Selman | Bio
This may seem like a far-reaching question,
but really, who is designing our future? Is it is the politicians in
marble buildings, or the aspiring college students whose optimism
drives them to want to change the world, or is it our unborn? If
you are like most people, you may think that designers are the people
that decorate the runways of Milan, New York and Los Angeles with
glamour, innovation and beauty. Yes, these are designers. But this past
weekend, my focus was shifted to designers that I would have never
associated with holding the element of change.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at The Great Turning
Tagged with:
allan_chochinov
compostmodern
design
emily_pilloton
future
hero_housing
john_bielenberg
project_h
sustainability
By Lauren Selman | Bio
Dad, I love you. Your daughter[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
love
By Lauren Selman | Bio
Dad, I love you. Your daughter[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
love
By Lauren Selman | Bio
"Don't worry
about it, you've got me in your corner." These are the words that make
a child warm inside and feel like they can accomplish anything. My
father said this to me the other day, and when he said it I felt like I
was on top of the world and that I could do anything. I was scared and
intimidated, but that fear lifted when I knew he would be there. Like
Rocky in the ring, I can look back and know that he is there coaching
me on my swing and my strategy. I know that my parents and their
partners are there to support me in the game of life. It is clear that
they are on my team. Now coming from an athletic background, I know
that there is nothing more important than your team. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
elder
fear
generation_gap
mentor
team
By Lauren Selman | Bio
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1,
GO!!! At midnight, on July 3rd, over nine hundred runners started off
on a midnight fourth of July run in Seattle. Among the runners were my
uncle and I. As I stood in the crowd waiting to start, I saw runners of
all ages. From nine-year-olds to 85-year-olds, all of us were crazy
enough to be standing in Seattle at midnight in short shorts and tank
tops. It go me thinking. Here we were, all humans of different ages,
gathering around to run. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
ages
commitment
community
generations
inspiration
integrity
sports
By Lauren Selman | Bio
This past weekend, I was hiking with a couple of co-workers of mine
in the beautiful Grand Canyon National Park. As we were walking, one
woman posed the question, "Is our society changing or is it our
awareness making it look worse?" I didn't understand what she meant at
first, but as we continued to talk, she was speaking to the concept of
perception. For example, people have been making 'at home 'drugs for a
quite a long time, but now that it is known that they are making them,
does it make society worse or just seem worse because we can now see
it? [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Learning
Tagged with:
actions
awareness
communication
connection
responsibility
By Lauren Selman | Bio
I was walking through beautiful San Francisco yesterday, humming to
myself and thinking, "Wow, I'm 21 in the 21st century." And then I
thought:
- What does it mean to be aging with time?
- What does it mean to be getting older with each century that passes?
- How am I part of the "next generation" as well as being a witness to the upcoming generation?
- What is it like to be a teacher and a student?
As I pondered on where to start, I, like Alice in her mysterious Wonderland, began at the beginning. What does it mean to be 21? [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
aging
fear
generation
growth
transition
By Lauren Selman | Bio
I
come from a family of artists. Both my mother and father are artists.
My brother is an artist. My aunt is a performance artist. My uncle is a
circus artist. My grandmother is an artist. My grandfather is a can
artist. My great grandmother was an artist. My great-great grandmother
was an artist. My great-great grandfather was an artist...and the list
goes on. Recently, I had the absolute pleasure of traveling
back in time through the art of my grandmother. I had been invited to a
tea that she was hosting at her one-woman show in Marin County,
California at the Tampalpias. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
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artist
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paintings
By Lauren Selman | Bio
I recently watched one of my favorite shows, "Sex in the City." This
show features four protagonists that constantly prove that 30 is the
new 20 and uncovers their relationships in the city of New York. In
this particular episode, the older women were poignantly juxtaposed
against young starlettes to emphasis they're "getting older". The plot
circulated around the question about aging that Carrie posed at the top
of the episode: "Does getting older mean getting wiser?" I feel that, in the discussion of aging, the concepts of "getting
older" are synonymous with "getting wiser." But is this really the
case? [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
culture
eldering
older
wisdom
wiser
By Lauren Selman
Bio
When do you start to get older? After reading the comments about aging,
I ask, “When does aging begin?” Aging is placed in the context of those
entering their thirties and beyond, but for me, I believe the process
of aging began the day I was born. When I was a little girl, I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew
up and I simply responded, "I don't want to grow up." But the truth was
I was growing up as I was saying those words. I was resisting aging
from the moment I could answer such a question and the fairies of
Neverland dusted me with fairy dust. But the wonderful thing about
Neverland is that everyone is there. The older pirates and the youthful
lost boys. [ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
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aging
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growing
older
young
My daughter’s self-introduction below speaks pretty much for itself and
who she is. We can all learn from our children. Perhaps our willingness
to learn is the basis for working together to create a better world,
what I call Eldering. In my relationship with Lauren, I not only learn,
but am constantly inspired and a little bit in awe of her commitment to
making a difference, her humanity and her love for people. I am proud
to present my daughter here at Serene Ambition….
"I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and found that life was service. I acted and, behold, service was joy."
These words of Rabindranath Tagore epitomize the direction of my life. Ever since I was child, I have always immersed myself in the most
diverse and delicious tastes of what life has to offer. As I grew up,
social pressure insisted I specify my direction. From medicine to
politics, the arts and space travel, my life has twisted along many
paths and I have come out on the world's great stage as a global
citizen. Some young people believe growing up means abandoning their
ideals. But I have learned that it means learning how to live our
ideals, every day, on the Earth.
My current project involves REEL GREENING!, a concept that emerged from
my senior thesis research project at Berkeley and that focuses on
bringing environmental consciousness to the events and entertainment
industry. As a simultaneous degree honors graduate (with a BS in
Conservation Resource Studies and a BA in Theater Performance Studies),
I have merged my passion for the environment and entertainment to form Reel Green Media. My
interest in the environment was sparked while I was studying the
effects of petroleum development in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest, where
I witnessed both environmental and humanitarian injustices. Back in
California, I made a commitment to make my academic work be a
stepping-stone for the future—instead of collecting dust on a shelf—and
so I began a two-year study entitled titled "Lights, Camera,
Eco-Action!" that investigated the environmental impact of the film
industry.
I recently attended the EMA Awards in Los Angeles and during the summer I spoke at the Association of Film Commissioners International Conference on "Going Green." I was also recently published in Traction Magazine,
a magazine for and by women in the "industry". I am currently
consulting with Julia Butterfly Hill's team on the greening of the film
LUNA, directed by Deepa Metha, supervising the outstanding youth
production team at The Green Screen, writing a handbook for the widely attended Hollywood Goes Green conference
and consulting on a variety of independent projects. My philosophy is
that with creativity and innovation, we can ‘green’ the movies together. With
every waking day, I hope to continue to live a life of service and
social transformation and be the change that I want to see. If the
passion, creativity and commitment of people can be liberated for the
common good, we can change the world. As youth today, we stand in a
powerful place, at a threshold of opportunity: the choices we make can
transform the future and do something about the suffering that is
taking place in the world. But I believe we can only do this if we
combine our passion, creativity and commitment with the wisdom of the
generations before us.
[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
Tagged with:
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